


(Found) Family Dining

by Gfan97



Series: I'm Always Going To Remember You [3]
Category: Astro City, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Family Bonding, Family Dinners, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 03:41:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30082929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gfan97/pseuds/Gfan97
Summary: The Kanames invite Homura to have dinner with them. After her frie-TEAMMATES ask to meet the Kanames she arranges for them to come along too in a short but significant lapse in judgement. Family bonding, friendly banter, and Kyoto eating like a slob soon follow.
Relationships: Akemi Homura & Kaname Junko, Akemi Homura & Sakura Kyouko, Akemi Homura & Tomoe Mami, Kaname Junko & Sakura Kyouko, Kaname Junko/Kaname Tomohisa, Kaname Tatsuya & Sakura Kyouko, Sakura Kyouko & Tomoe Mami
Series: I'm Always Going To Remember You [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2123613
Kudos: 6





	(Found) Family Dining

“Will you be alright while we’re gone, Kyoko?”

Kyoko looked up from the homework assignment she wasn’t doing. “Of course Mrs. Miki.”

Mrs. Miki nodded. “Good. We’ll only be gone a few days. You know how to reach us if anything goes wrong and the fridge is fully stocked.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know,” said Kyoko with a dismissive wave.

“Will you be going out with your friends tonight?” asked Mrs. Miki.

Kyoko nodded. “Yeah. After Homura finishes with Tatsuya we’ll all be hanging out.”

“Ok. Just…be careful,” said Mrs. Miki.

Kyoko nodded. “I always am.”

When she first came to Mitakihara, Kyoko crashed with Mami (it didn’t last long). Then she bunked with Homura (they barely interacted).

Then she befriended Sayaka.

After Kyoko started going to school (how Mami managed that she still wasn’t sure), she began hanging out at Sayaka’s place more and more. First it was for homework, then hanging out, then sleepovers. Eventually she was spending so much time at the Mikis place that just let her stay with them full-time.

After Sayaka disappeared (died) the Mikis became a lot more affectionate towards Kyoko. It irritated her sometimes, making her feel like a replacement goldfish. But still, she felt grateful to them for letting her stay. And as annoying as their concern could be, she secretly appreciated it.

Well, at least now Kyoko could sit back, relax, and eat junk food until the Wraith hunt. Since Homura would be finishing early tonight, she could come Wraith hunting too. But she was still too busy to force Kyoko to do her homework. So-

There was a knock on the door. Kyoko heard Mrs. Miki opening the door. “Hello, glad you could come over. Please come in!”

“Thank you. It is a pleasure to be here,” a _very_ familiar voice said.

Kyoko rushed out to see _Mami_ walking into the Miki’s home. She gave Kyoko that insufferable goody good smile. “Hello Kyoko. Shall we begin studying for the night? Homura told me _all_ about what homework you have.”

_Homura you BIT_ -

* * *

Homura and the others walked through the city, searching for Wraiths. They’d found and killed a few weaker ones, enough to clean their soul gems for the night. Aside from that though, the night had been fairly quiet.

“So,” said Kyoko. “How was watching the kid?”

“It was fine.”

“Fine good or fine bad?” said Kyoko.

“Fine.”

Kyoko narrowed her eyes. “That’s the same thing you’d say if it was the best night of your life, or a total disaster.”

“And?” said Homura.

“You enjoy doing that, don’t you?” said Kyoko.

“That is absurd,” said Homura. “By the way, how was your homework?”

Kyoko gritted her teeth. “Great,” she said eating a Pocky stick.

“I made sure she finished everything!” said Mami.

“That’s good,” said Homura in a tone that was absolutely not smug.

“So Homura,” said Mami. “Are you going to be seeing them again soon?”

Homura nodded. “They’ve invited me over for dinner tomorrow. I should still be out in time to hunt Wraiths though.

“Geez,” said Kyoko, “they’re starting to sound like Sayaka’s parents now. At this rate, you’ll be moving in by the end of the month.”

Homura rolled her eyes.

Mami said, “I think it sounds wonderful! I’m glad you’re getting close to this family.” She looked down and murmured, “It must be nice…” Homura knew Mami had suffered from loneliness before they’d joined together. How often did Mami dwell on the family she’d lost? Was it as often as Homura dwelled on who she’d lost?

Mami looked up toward Homura. “I don’t suppose…that we could come along to the Kanames one of these times?”

Homura’s first instinct was to say no. The Kanames were _hers_. Mami hadn’t even known Madoka! But…

Homura may have had her issues with Mami (owing to their various clashes when she was looping through time), but Mami was still her ~~friend~~ teammate. Besides, while Homura would never say it out loud, she enjoyed spending time with the other two girls.

One more (traitorous) question entered her mind. “ _What would Madoka do_?”

Homura sighed. “I will ask them if you can come tomorrow. They’d probably love to have you over,” she said tossing back her hair.

“Tomorrow? Wha- I mean, thank you Homura,” Mami said, her eyes starting to water. I really appreciate it.”

“And what about me?” said Kyoko.

“What _about_ you?” said Homura. Kyoko glared. Homura sighed and said, “Do you want to come?”

“Sure. Got nothing better to do since my meal tickets are out of town.,” said Kyoko with a toothy smirk.

With a heavy sigh, Homura called the Kanames. They were happy to let her bring her friends along. Homura warned them prepare for four extra people (Kyoko ate at least as much as two). She hoped this went well…

* * *

As the three approached the house Mami was practically shaking at the opportunity to talk to the Kanames beyond the quick exchange from when they first “accompanied” Homura here, Kyoko feigned disinterest (Though she was kind of curious at what they were like) (Especially the brat), and Homura showed no emotion. As usual.

“Hello Mrs. Kaname, it’s good to see you,” said Homura as the door opened, her voice going an octave higher.

“Good to see you too Homura,” said Mrs. Kaname. “And good to see you two again too,” she said to Mami and Kyoko.

“Likewise,” said Mami.

“What she said,” said Kyoko.

She led the three inside. They’d barely gone two steps when they heard an excited shriek. “HOMURA!” a toddler yelled as he waddled up to them. He hugged Homura’s leg, then turned his attention to Kyoko and Mami.

“HI!”

Mami leaned over with a warm smile. “Hello there, I’m Mami.”

He smiled at her and again said “HI!”, then wandered over to Kyoko. “Who’r you?”

“I’m Kyoko,” she said, looking disinterestedly at the wall. Unfortunately, he took that as a challenge and hugged her leg. Which she absolutely did not find cute.

“Koko!”

“No, no, she said. “Ky-oko.”

“KOKO!”

Kyoko chuckled and ruffled his hair, a smile creeping onto her lips. This almost reminded her of-

She killed the memory before it could start.

“Don’t even think of teaching him swear words,” said Homura.

“Didn’t plan on it,” Kyoko said. At least she didn’t before. Now though, she _had_ to teach him at least a couple bad words. Just…maybe not this time. Wouldn’t do if she never got invited back.

Tatsuya wandered over to Mami and hugged her too before Mrs. Kaname picked him up, introduced them to her husband and began guiding them to the dining room, making small talk with Homura.

So far the two didn’t seem all that special. The wife was more assertive and energetic while the husband was calm but friendly. Honestly Kyoko had expected more from the people who got Homura to open up. Like saints or something.

Still, there was one thing she needed to do. Kyoko held a palm out to Mami. “By the way, her voice. Told you so. Pay up.”

Mami groaned and placed a few bills in Kyoko’s waiting hand.

The Kanames and Homura stared questioningly.

“I bet her Homura was deliberately making her voice deeper to sound cool,” said Kyoko.

“I do not!” said Homura.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

“Your voice _does_ sound lower when you’re talking to them…” said Mrs. Kaname, covering her smile. Her husband was similarly holding in laughter.

Homura’s face went red. She turned heel and stalked into the dining room while Kyoko and Mami tried to hold in their own laughter.

So far this was a nice start to the evening. Kyoko’s just hoped the grub was good…

* * *

“ _Slurrrp!_ This stuff is absolutely delicious!” said Kyoko as she slurped her noodles as loudly as humanly possible. She also barely bothered to keep her jacket clean. Honestly, she was less refined than Tatsuya. Who was two.

Homura sighed. She should have expected this…

“Thank you,” said Mrs. Kaname. At least one of them was taking this well.

Tatsuya was sitting next to Kyoko. He laughed as she stuffed another massive bite into her mouth. Kyoko ruffled his hair with an uncharacteristically soft look. “You enjoying your food kid?”

Tatsuya looked at the food he’d been stuffing in his mouth, then back at Kyoko. “No!” he chirped.

“You are absolutely full of…it,” said the smirking Kyoko.

Tatsuya laughed then resumed stuffing his mouth full of food.

“You know, you’re exactly like Homura described you,” said Mrs. Kaname to Kyoko.

Kyoko looked up. “In what way?” she said with a cautious glare.

Mrs. Kaname gave her a teasing smile. “I’ll let you guess.”

Kyoko glared at Homura while Mami stifled a laugh.

“You seem to be close friends,” said Mr. Kaname. “Tell us about yourselves. Any hobbies?”

“I bake,” said Mami.

“I eat,” said Kyoko.

“Yes, but what do you do together? You know, for fun?” said Mrs. Kaname.

“I sometimes hang around the arcade. DDR’s fun. Mami sometimes comes along too,” said Kyoko.

Mami nodded. “Yes, while most of the games there aren’t for me, I’m happy to join her.”

Mrs. Kaname looked expectantly at Homura. “What about you?

“I’m not interested in that sort of thing,” said Homura. “I mostly study at home. It seems a much better use of my time than video games.”

Mrs. Kaname sighed. “Those are good habits, but you should really hang out with your friends too.”

Mr. Kaname nodded. “Being too serious can be just as much a problem as not being serious at all.”

“He’s right you know. Trust me. Especially when you’re too young to drink,” said Mrs. Kaname.

Homura tilted her head, but nodded. “I will consider it.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Kyoko. “I need someone who can actually challenge me in a game. Mami’s fine at the shooting stuff but sucks at everything else.”

“It would be nice to have fun together,” Mami said.

“Oh, so you usually do homework together,” said Mr. Kaname.

“Yes, that’s right,” said Mami quickly. “I help those two with some of their assignments (mainly Kyoko).”

“Hey!” said Kyoko.

“It’s true,” said Homura. “If it weren’t for the two of us, you and Sayaka would probably have never finished a single homework assignment.”

Kyoko moved her hand in a way that suggested she desperately wanted to flip Homura off, but kept glancing at the Kanames and Tatsuya before settling for a clenched fist.

“Well,” she said, “me and Sayaka usually had better things to do than whatever crap the teacher gave us. Besides, all she ever does in class is rant about how much her love life sucks. No reason we should care either.”

Mrs. Kaname narrowed her eyes. “Please tell me your teacher isn’t Kazuko Saotome?”

“Yes,” said Homura. Mrs. Kaname facepalmed.

“You know her?” said Mami.

“Drinking buddies,” said Mrs. Kaname through her hand. “I thought she’d avoid ranting like that outside of the bar, like me.”

Homura and Mr. Kaname raised an eyebrow at her apparent delusion that she saved her drunken rants for the bar. Homura also began to wonder if her teacher was constantly hung over.

“By the way, Homura,” said Mrs. Kaname. “You said you didn’t go to the arcade with your friends, but you must have some hobbies don’t you?”

Homura stopped to think. “Um, archery?” she said. “I also go on walks and um, I used to be really interested in ballets when I was young. But I was sickly, so I was only ever able to watch them.”

You know, you seem healthy now. Have you ever…”

* * *

Kyoko and Mami turned away from the two’s conversation to share a surprised look. Had Homura just…talked about her past? She never did that. Ever. Sure, she’d occasionally mention something vague, but casually bringing up her childhood? How much did she trust these Kanames again?

“I haven’t really given much thought to such things in a long time,” said Homura to Mrs. Kaname. “Besides, these days I’m very busy.”

“You should think about it,” said Mrs. Kaname. She glanced at the other two. “By the way, you mentioned that you usually do homework together, right?”

The three nodded.

“I have some tricks you can use to get more done with the limited time you have so you can spend more time having fun together.” she said.

“If you wish it.”

“We would love to hear it.”

“Anything to get that damn homework out of the way faster.”

Mrs. Kaname smiled and began giving the three teenagers a lecture on how best to manage one’s time to have less time doing homework and more time doing things they wanted to do. Kyoko actually found herself listening to some of the lady’s suggestions. Maybe she liked these people after all…

* * *

“Excuse me,” Homura said after everyone had eaten their fill. “What do you plan on doing with the leftovers?”

“Probably put them in the fridge. Why?” said Mrs. Kaname.

“Kyoko usually likes to take them and eat them herself later.”

“Ok. She can have it,” said Mrs. Kaname. She turned to Kyoko. “Here, help me wrap these. I’m sure your parents will enjoy it too.”

Kyoko stiffened. “Yeah. I’m sure the Mikis will love it,” she said in a quiet tone as she walked over to help.

“Are…you Ok?” Mrs. Kaname said.

“Yeah. Fine,” she said.

“Ok,” Mrs. Kaname said. Kyoko could tell she didn’t believe her, but that was fine. As long as that line of conversation _stopped_.

“By the way,” said Mr. Kaname. “If any of you ever want our help with anything, need a place to stay, or even just want to visit, don’t hesitate. Our house is open to you.”

Mami looked touched. “Thank you. That’s…you’re too kind.”

Homura nodded.

Kyoko hesitated. She didn’t need help. She was _fine_. Still, she guessed it wouldn’t hurt. She gave a curt nod. “I’ll never need it, but sure. Whatever”

The two Kanames began talking with Mami and Homura while Kyoko deliberately sat at the end of the room avoiding the conversation. Tatsuya wandered out of the room. Deciding she had nothing better to do, Kyoko pulled out a box of Pocky and followed him.

A few minutes later, Kyoko was lying on the ground next to Tatsuya who was drawing with his crayons. Lying here next to him like this was…calming. She liked it. Tatsuya finished his drawing and showed it to her. It was a crude drawing of her, Mami, and Homura, along with some pink girl with pigtails.

“Koko!” he said tapping the drawing of her with a bright smile.

“Good job,” Kyoko said with a soft smile. She felt a pang of sadness, which she covered with a strained smile. She ruffled Tatsuya’s hair. “You know what? You’re all right,” she said before biting into another stick of Pocky.

“Yay!” Tatsuya said. He toddled over and hugged her. She actually put an arm around him to return it. This wasn’t that bad…

The sound of incoming footsteps caused her to let go of him. Mrs. Kaname and Homura walked through the door and approached her. Mrs. Kaname handed Kyoko a large bag. “All yours.”

“Thanks,” said Kyoko. “Anyway, we should get going. Got some plans for the night. _Don’t we?_ ” She looked at Mami and Homura.

Mami nodded. “She’s right. We had best be off. Thank you for having us over.” She bowed.

“Yeah, thanks for the food!” said Kyoko. She made sure to wave to Tatsuya before she went.

“Come back anytime. And please, be safe,” Mrs. Kaname said to them. Kyoko and Mami nodded and walked out the door.

* * *

Homura began walking out but Mr. Kaname put a hand on her shoulder. “Homura, me and Junko were wondering if you’d be willing to do this again soon with just you and our family?”

Homura tilted her head. This was important to him. The look in his eyes was similar to Mrs. Kaname’s eyes when she’d first asked Homura to come back.

She nodded.

He looked relieved. “Good. We’ll call you later. You should join your friends.”

Homura nodded and began walking out. 

“And Homura…please be safe.”

Homura narrowed her eyes. He was talking almost as if… She brushed that ridiculous thought aside and nodded. “I will. Thank you Mr. Kaname.”

She joined her teammates outside. Kyubey was on Mami’s shoulder.

“ _You’re here,”_ it said. “ _There don’t seem to be too many Wraiths tonight, but I still recommend you hurry. We’re late as it is and more of them could have shown up._ ”

Homura and the others nodded, pulled out their Soul Gems, and marched out, ready to face any Wraiths that haunted the night.

* * *

Junko and Tomohisa watched the girls walk away.

There they went, out to risk their lives for some magical war she and her husband barely understood.

She was glad she’d gotten to know the other two. She hoped she and Tomohisa done a little good for them tonight. (And that Homura would start to have more fun with them, the girl was wound tight enough as it was).

She hoped they’d be safe tonight. And that next time they saw Homura they’d finally be able to tell her the truth…

* * *

In the ethereal plane between worlds Madoka Kaname, the Law of Cycles, traveled. She’d left her friends/assistants Nagisa and Sayaka to handle things while she was gone. She had to do this herself.

As she neared her destination, Madoka’s thoughts drifted to the recent events in Mitakihara. After ascending she assumed her parents would be better off forgetting about her. That way they’d never have to deal with the grief of losing her, never have to wonder what happened and why, never deal with the fact that nobody even knew they’d once had a daughter. They’d be happy.

Now she wasn’t so sure.

Since remembering, there was some sadness, but there was also happiness. They’d grown closer and clung to their shared memories like a life preserver in the open ocean. Their knowledge of Madoka drove them to seek out Homura, bonding with her. And now they were helping her other friends too

She wanted to talk to someone. Sure, she could go to another magical girl, there were plenty in her paradise, but there was one individual she wanted to speak with more than anyone else. This is why she was where she currently was, crossing into the boundaries between worlds.

There was a roar.

Madoka turned around as a twisted deformed abomination rose from the ethereal mists, covered in tentacles and teeth in a grotesque appearance beyond normal human comprehension. Madoka steeled herself and readied her bow, aiming for what she thought was its head.

Before she could attack, the creature noticed something behind her and fled. Madoka whirled around, ready to face the new threat, only to find herself face to face with the very individual she was looking for.

He crossed his arms. Madoka put away her bow and looked down, suddenly feeling like a disobedient child.

**_What are you doing here_ , **The Hanged Man said, **_Madoka Kaname?_**

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! If you did, comments and kudos make me very happy!
> 
> Edit: Almost forgot, that bit about Homura enjoying ballet is inspired by Corisanna's As N Approaches Infinity, an absolutely amazing Madoka Magica fic that I highly recommend.


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